


Crossing Lines

by kidotomy



Series: Uzumaki Red [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Disabled Character, M/M, Naruto leaves with Sasuke after the war, Post War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2020-03-09 13:28:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18917962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kidotomy/pseuds/kidotomy
Summary: When they work together they can pass as at least one functional person.





	1. Kazan

**Author's Note:**

> Complies right after my previous fic, Uzumaki Red but can be read individually. 
> 
> For context when it's mentioned, Naruto dyed his hair red to feel closer to his mother.
> 
> most chapters will be short, ficlets more like—just snippets of things I had the inspiration to write. nothing major really.

Naruto found less people recognized him as the war-hero jinchuriki without his tell-tale highlighter yellow hair. Which definitely seemed kind of dumb, like, who else has  _ whiskers _ ?

But he wasn't complaining, either. It was actually really nice when people didn't care who he was. Konoha was a minefield of awkward gawking from civilians, and an uncomfortable amount of deference from senior Shinobi.

On the outskirts of the Land of Fire, Naruto and Sasuke found themselves in a small but clearly growing village. They'd definitely taken some damage during the war, and Naruto was quick to offer their support in rebuilding.

The village elder eyed the boys suspiciously, it wasn't often help jumped into your lap, especially this far away from a large village. He rubbed his chin.

"However much help you think you'll be," He shrugged, indicating their missing limbs, like a matching set.

Naruto gave his signature smile, throwing his arm around Sasuke's shoulder, who gave no real indication he cared one way or the other.

"Don't worry jiji, we're cooler than we look."

The elder didn't look impressed, turned around and began to shuffle away. "The men are working on rebuilding and fortifying some houses this way."

The two ninjas followed dutifully.

It was actually a bit awkward to adjust to, and certainly neither of them had previous carpentry skills. But with a little guidance and some teamwork, the two could at least pass for one functioning person. 

  


They slept in an empty house, one a bit aways from the village center, that the old man had said nobody wanted to stay in.

Small towns had familiar ghosts.

But that was no matter to the vagabond leaf-nin who were more than satisfied with a roof over their heads.

Laying out on their futons in the dark, Naruto had already finished chattering about every little thing he could, and they fell into a comfortable silence until Sasuke quietly rolled over to face Naruto.

"Is that permanent?" He stared at Naruto's hair, still very, very red.

"Do you not like it?" Naruto countered, looking a bit self conscious.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "... you look like Karin."

It was a poor scapegoat, and really just untrue. Naruto with his tan skin and bright blue eyes looked nothing like his former team Taka member.

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Probably not. It's certainly not a priority to maintain while we're traveling, and…" He tried to pull strands of his hair into view.

"It's not you." Sasuke finished for him.

"Maybe so." He dropped his hair and ran his fingers through it. "It does remind me of my mom though, that's nice."

"Hn."

Sasuke left it at that, and eventually slipped into unconsciousness, remarking to himself that Naruto actually looked like a tomato. 

  


* * *

  


It didn't take long for the village folk to get accustomed to their guests, with a population less than 50 there weren't many strangers. They weren't even marked on the map Naruto and Sasuke had, though they could estimate about where it would be. Kazan. A place easily forgotten by Konhagakure and the Daimyo.

They were talking casually (or rather more like Naruto was talking and Sasuke was arguably listening) when a scrawny boy with pale blue hair dashed in front of the pair, attempting to block their path; standing stiff with his hands on his hips.

"Hey! I'm Yoriko Nogushi a—and I think you guys are really suspicious. And you better know if you try anything, I'll beat you up!" He huffed, pointing dramatically at both of them. 

Sasuke looked affronted, while Naruto laughed, scrubbing the kids head.

" Suspicious!? I'll have you know we're Konoha ninjas!"

The boy, Yoriko, threw Naruto's hands off of him, and looked more angry than before.

"Yeah right! How the hell could you be a ninja with one arm? You're lying! That's even more suspicious!"

Naruto scrunched his nose, arm fumbling around to pat his backpack until he felt the metal of his hitai-ate tied to a strap. He twisted in the street to flash it towards the kid.

"See? See!! We're both Konoha Shinobi! Only having one arm means I'm cool," Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I lost it—in the war. I'm still an awesome ninja though! Nothing stops Naruto Uzumaki, believe it!"

Other people on the street were starting to stare, and Sasuke scowled, tugging on Naruto's ear.

"Shut it idiot, it doesn't matter what some kid thinks. We were  _ busy _ , remember?"

Yoriko huffed, muttering under his breath and squinting.

"Whatever. I'm keeping an eye on you, fake ninjas!" He yelled before running around a corner.

He not so subtly was following them as they went about their business, buying this and that they could eat for a few days. Eventually they put the child out of their minds when he seemed to be harmless.

And then Naruto felt a tug on his back, and his hitai-ate was in Yoriko's hands as he tried to scrutinize it and run at the same time. Naruto's jaw dropped and he just about jumped to chase the kid when Yoriko ran headfirst into another, older child who snatched the headband out of his hands.

"Miyako! Give it back! He totally stole that from a real Konoha-nin!"

"Idiot Yoriko! You can't just take things from people who are helping us. You  _ know _ they've been helping the adults rebuilt our houses."

Naruto was shocked when the older girl, Miyako, shoved the Hitai-ate back into his hands, ignoring the young boy who held onto her and yelled his objections.

"Sorry my idiot brother took this from you Shinobi-san. We both appreciate how much help you and your friend have been."

"uh—no problem kid. Don't worry about it." The jinchuriki straightened up, plastering his trademark smile. "Can't blame him for wanting to protect his home, believe it!"

He watched as Miyako dragged her little brother away, and Sasuke silently walked away, leaving Naruto to follow after him. 

  


* * *

  


The next morning in Kazan, Naruto and Sasuke were met with a group of children hanging outside their temporary home. Even Yoriko was standing away from the group, looking like an annoyed supervisor.

One kid with long brown hair grinned.

"You're a ninja, right nii-san?" 

Sasuke backed into the house and slammed the door. Naruto laughed, and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah. Guess the word's out now, huh?"

Between the five village children, they had more than enough questions for a  _ very cool _ ninja who was born in a ninja village and participated in the war. When he was finally able to shoo the kids away and check inside the house, he noted sasuke has slipped away at some point.

Fair enough. 

  


* * *

  


Sasuke was starting to get very annoyed.

The last few days they'd spent in Kazan were dominated by children cooing all over Naruto, every chance they got. They at least seemed to have the sense not to bother Sasuke in the same way. Worst was that Naruto seemed to be having the time of his life, which left Sasuke little room to complain.

Eventually though, he slipped.

"They're not youre kids, you know that, right? We're going to leave eventually." Probably very soon actually, especially if Sasuke had a say.

Naruto instantly soured, shoulder stiffening.

"Dont be a hardass, jerk. They're just kids. Yoriko and Miyako's parents died in the war, too."

Sasuke didn't see what that had to do with anything. He bit his tongue.

"Yoriko reminds me of you, actually." Naruto snickered, looking over his shoulder. 

Sasuke remained impassive as ever, grabbing the edge of his sleeve. 

"He's more like you, actually. Loud and annoying."

Naruto's laugh sounded more like a bark. 

Impeccably timed, Sasuke could hear the rambunctious group of children approaching the house, and he moved to leave when Naruto's calloused hands slipped around his wrist.

In the same moment he let go, stepping away to open the door as the youngest of the quintet—Seki—immediately jumped to hug Naruto's leg.

"Ne, how about you all have dinner with me and Sasuke?" He cheered, and Sasuke felt the urge to break his face as the children agreed.

He did his very best to ignore them,  _ and _ Naruto while they prepared dinner. Ignoring Naruto was harder, because they cooked  _ together _ . The idiot had the gall to still look happy, while Sasuke scowled and resisted the desire to stab him.

By the time they all sat around on the floor of the living room to eat, Sasuke seemed to have given up an inch, and begrudgingly talked to the quietest of the bunch, Ami.

When Naruto shuffled the kids out the door to go home, he swung his arm around Sasuke and ruffled his hair. In turn, Sasuke shoved the temporary-red-head off of him and retreated to the bedroom, leaving Naruto to clean up.

Naruto didn't  _ stop _ smiling either,which was definitely the most annoying part of the whole day. 

  


* * *

  


  


Sasuke stared at the child holding up her small, raggedy, extremely ugly and very dirty purple stuffed bear to him like it was a trick. Or a really weird joke.

Ami looked embarrassed, but shoved the bear closer to him.

"Ma says we couldnt' give you anything for helpin us rebuilt our house. But youre so nice, I want you to have my favorite bear."

His eyes flicked from her face, to the bear.

Ami was definitely the least annoying of the children, and maybe he'd conceded to her presence more than the others, but he didn't see how it lead to this. It would make more sense if she was propositioning her toys to Naruto.

but she wasn't.

He nodded, awkwardly grabbing hold of the bear, which made Ami's smile stretch her cheeks to their limit.

"Thanks," He croaked out, and the little girl scampered back to her parents, who smiled and waved at him. He felt oddly sick.

Sasuke insisted they left that night, their work in Kazan.

The little bear was tucked deep in the bottom of his bag when they set off to find their next yet-unknown destination. 


	2. fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they'll never stop being themselves.

"Leave me alone!“ Sasuke shouts, air crackling with dangerous energy.Naruto can feel his lightning chakra pulsing—ready.  


Naruto takes a step back, and another thinking  _ wow _ , this conversation really got away from me, and he can’t help himself to look at Sasuke with worry but—

the dark haired nin is gone in a flash. 

Naruto sighed and trudged back to the inn, knowing he should give Sasuke time to calm down or _whatever_. 

 

-

 

It's three days later when Sasuke approaches Naruto again, three very anxious days of Naruto keeping himself as busy with odd jobs around the village as he could, waving off Sasuke's absence and trying to convince himself he hadn't royally screwed everything over. at least he could feel that Sasuke hasn't gone far;then again maybe Karin would get to kill him after all.He'd rolled it around in his head over and over again whether he should do something or not.  


But then there Sasuke was again, without any prodding, and Naruto nervously tugged on his empty sleeve. 

"Can I hug you?" 

Sasuke looks angry almost, but nods.  

Naruto quickly wrapped his arm around Sasuke, holding him like he was sand that would slip through his fingers.

"im sorry."

Silence.  


"We should have some rules…" Naruto stated, and before Sasuke could question him he continued, "when you leave."

Sasuke nodded, maybe imperceptibly if it wasn't directly into Naruto's shoulder. 

"I didn't come with you to smother you. But when you disappear it scares me. if you need time alone, I want you to have it."

Naruto pulled away, so he could look at his companion's face. 

"It's hard for me to tell when I should leave you alone, or when you  _ want _ me to follow you."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, either contemning the idea of wanting Naruto to chase him, or that fact that Naruto couldn't tell the difference in the first place. 

"Don't make that face! contrary to popular belief I can't read your mind!" Naruto smiled wryly, hand still resting on Sasuke's waist.  

"For real. How about… if you don't come back after five days I'll find you. If that alright?" A nod was his only response. Good enough, at least for now.  

 

"Hey, can I kiss you?" 

This finally seemed to draw Sasuke out, and he made an attempt to hold his stoicism while the embarrassment creeped up on him. 

"Yeah. You can."

Naruto smiled, leaning in and lingering for a moment over Sasuke's lips before he pressed forward. It wasn't an extraordinary kiss by any means, or exceptionally passionate. It was slow and soft, with just the hint of pressure and really nothing like what either of them were. 

It was sweet. Naruto's hand trailed up from Sasuke's waist to cup his cheek as he pulled away, just enough to speak.

"I miss you when you're not around, teme." His voice held a smile. 

Whatever they were now felt fragile. Something both parties were quite afraid of breaking. 

"Dobe." Sasuke said, almost a whisper. 

When he leaned in to claim Naruto's lips again, the impression of his smile made the jinchuriki's heart warm. 


	3. what's the opposite of a fight?

Naruto's fist clenches the fabric of Sasuke's shirt, pulling it tight like he couldn't decide between shoving him away or pulling him closer. His face was the definition of pissed, and then.

And then, his hands unfurled. his fingers relaxed, dropped to his side.

he laughed.

"It would be pretty funny if we got into another big fight and blew off our arms again." he wiggled his stump. "then what would we do?"

Sasuke looked annoyed (though that was the norm, wasn’t it?) but his shoulders relaxed.

“Idiot. Who’s fault was that?”

“Bastard, I'm the one who lost my dominant hand!"

"You're a ninja, you should be able to use either."

Naruto growled, but the tension from before was gone as quickly as it had riled up and the blond shoved Sasuke away.

“Maaan you’re a jerk. C’mon. Let’s get back.”

When Naruto turned his back, Sasuke smiled.

“Ne, you know we're technically only genin?” Naruto muttered, scuffing his sandals in the dirt trail leading back into town. Rice territory.

“Does it matter?”  
“Maybe? Do you think Kakashi would make me take all those exams before he let me be Hokage?”  
“Probably.”

“But—”  
“You want to a genin-Kage?”  
“Guess not.” He laughed.

Naruto true to his nature carried on the mindless chatter well into town, but for now, Sasuke had to admit he didn’t mind quite so much.

 

-

 

It’s night—

“Before we left, Sakura tried to give me a weird pep talk. like about… us, you know?” He laughed. "I didn't even tell her anything, it's like she just knew."

A pause.

"She does miss you too, you know. when we go back, maybe we can all be a team again, like… maybe you guys can make up, yeah?"

"I don't deserve her forgiveness." Sasuke’s voice is quiet in the still air and Naruto jumps to speak but Sasuke shoves his hand in the jinchuuriki’s face before he can get a word out.  

"Just hold on, dumbass. You don't have to jump to defend me from myself."

Naruto shuts his mouth, frowning.  

"You know I tried to hurt her—no, I did hurt her. I tried to kill her, more than once. she doesn't owe me anything." Sasuke was sure too, that he didn’t really regret those times either, but he doesn’t add that. He could see Naruto thinking himself into the ground, like the part of him that loved Sasuke and the part of him that loved Sakura were having a hard time reconciling.

Naruto’s face was still—yeah he knew that stuff but he didn't really _think_ about it. He's tempted to say 'you didn't do anything wrong' but he doesn't because he knows that's not true and he also knows it won't make Sasuke feel any better either.  


"She’ll forgive you." Comes eventually, and the words feel heavy in his mouth.

Sasuke didn't really doubt that, but he wasn't sure she _should_ either. He doesn’t respond.

Naruto can't help but turn towards him, hold his face and kiss his forehead. Sasuke's face scrunches up at the undue contact, but doesn't pull away.

"I'll be alright." Naruto says simply, and Sasuke closes his eyes, supposing he's right.

He wouldn't admit to it the next day, but folding his head into Naruto's chest that next was perhaps the best he'd ever slept.

 

-

 

Another night.

"Konoha isn't really great, is it? And like, maybe it never has been."

The words were sudden really, like a long contemplated confession. Naruto sounded tired, and very very hollow. It made Sasuke itch in a way he didn't like, it was just so wrong to hear Naruto so defeated. So hurt. An anger set to simmer, directed at everyone responsible.

" We'll change it, then." Sasuke said with no trace of emotion, shifting to turn his back to the other man.

There was silence until Naruto gave a breathy "Yeah," and his companion could feel his emotions rolling off him like a heat lamp.

We, was in Naruto's head like a mantra, and without a trace of doubt he knew anything they did together was never impossible.

 

 

In the morning, Naruto’s hair is pushed back by a garish orange fabric tied around his head and Sasuke notes the blond roots coming in pressed against the tie, red tips growing out, all made Naruto’s head look like a color blocked sunset.

He’s smiling, making instant ramen (for breakfast? Gods.) and looking altogether _very_ happy.

Sasuke doesn’t say anything, not even complain when Naruto pushes another cup towards him.

 

Naruto will and does admit, quite often actually, that Sasuke's returning smile is the _best thing in the world_.


End file.
